


Ruins

by Blind_Shot



Series: 31 Days of Apex [12]
Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: 31 Days of Apex (Apex Legends), Gen, Memories, Past, Ruins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:01:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25241335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blind_Shot/pseuds/Blind_Shot
Summary: Caustic decides to visit the ruins of an old laboratory to retrieve some items and pay a visit to someone dear to his past.
Series: 31 Days of Apex [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1812505
Kudos: 10





	Ruins

Alexander Maxwell Nox. To Caustic, that man died when Humbert Labs was destroyed. 

He’s standing before the charred ruins of the laboratory, the main structures still standing but everything around it was gone for Mother Nature to run its course. He merely wanted to come back to the spot to see how his gas affected the wildlife after all these years. Fascinating. What should have been a full foliage of a forest is just the small coming of one. It seemed that this particular strand of gas, when combined with the explosion and fire, affected wildlife to the point where nature had a difficult time rebuilding. He noted the carcasses that were nearby, the animals that passed through the area or consumed some of the contaminated living tissue, seemed to have some deformities or had passed away. Interesting. This information would help fuel his research into the structure of his first toxin. When you adjust a small portion of the strand, the possibilities were endless.

As he strolled through the ruins, he took note of some of the degraded steel and decomposing tissue. How foolish of any lifeform to try and traverse through this area. They wouldn’t have lasted long, the remnants of his volatile gas would’ve provided a quick end to their misery. It wasn’t long before he’s standing in front what would’ve been the resting place of Dr. Franklin Humbert, a bumbling fool who should’ve minded his own business. But, no matter, Caustic took care of the man, along with the lab as well. Unfortunate. He had to relocate his research to a more optimal work area. 

He stepped through what remained of the broken observation panel and went to one of the far corners of the room. He bared his fist and broke through one of the panelings in the wall, revealing a secret compartment. Reaching inside, he retrieved the materials and stuffed them in the backpack that he had brought along for the journey. He noted a few pictures, scanning through them quickly so that they weren’t exposed to the hazardous environment for too long. Pictures of his childhood, his family, his accomplishments, and Luc Paquette’s family. Memories he thought were long forgotten. Safely securing the documents, a glance down at his watch showed that there’s still some time left before his appointment. He decided to examine through the rest of the building.

There was an exit through the back that he recalled, having used that as his means of escape all those years ago. He took note of some of the destruction, factoring in the explosion and fire that might’ve accelerated its decomposition. Some of the ruins easily crumbled if someone barely touched it, others were still structurally sound, which allowed him to go through the building unscathed as he knew what was safe, and what was not. Such as that one hallway leading into the cafeteria, one step down there, and the building would collapse. But the location for experimental proteins and gases, he could go through to and back no problem. The natural compounds in the air must’ve contributed to this factor. Perhaps the increased oxygen levels in the cafeteria allowed for the fire to spread more into the area, versus the usually contained experimental area. 

He chuckled. So fascinating. It was like a walk through an amusement park, except this was all his doing, his work. As he brushed his hand alongside a wall, he noted a piece of steel that became ash as he crushed it in his hands. He was having the time of his life, but all fun must come to an end soon. He noticed the ray of sunshine peeking through the exit doors, pushing some of the debris out of his way to step back into the sunlight. He couldn’t take his mask off right now, he’ll risk lowering his life expectancy even more than what it is now. Instead, he took some final notes of his findings and went back towards his vehicle. It was parked a few miles away from the labs, so as to not risk the integrity of its hull. He brushed himself of what might’ve stuck to him, his suit repellant to the chemical. And just in case, he brought a change of clothes and a secure box to contain his contaminated suit. He had one more errand to run before he had to head back to the compound for the Games.

As he drove down the familiar road, he couldn’t help but notice the subtle changes in the area. New roadwork, new buildings, some vegetation that started to leak into the older asphalt. It’s been a while since he’d last been here, but things have been for the better since he’s been gone. He parked his vehicle and approached the building, a place he’s visited every once in a while as he grew up. He pushed through the doors, holding a parcel in hand, and approached the receptionist.

“Good day sir! Can I help you?” The young man asked. He looked to be in his 20’s, blond hair, bright green eyes with a slight build. Caustic cleared his throat.

“Yes, I’m here to see Mrs. Katerina Ticacek Nox. I’ve scheduled a meeting with her for this afternoon.” Caustic’s fingers readjusted around the package, watching as the man typed away on his computer.

“Hmm, ah yes, here you are, and you’re just on time! She’ll be out shortly if you don’t mind taking a seat. Say, were you interested in adopting? I think you’ll make an amazing father.” The receptionist smiled, Caustic grunting in response.

“Me? A father? I’m far too busy with important research to meddle in the affairs of childcare.” The man gasped at his response.

“Well, I think you’ll have a change of heart after speaking with Mrs. Nox. She lost her son some time ago but devotes herself to this here Orphanage. It’s quite an amazing place.” Caustic swore he saw the man’s eyes twinkle as he spoke. He wanted to vomit. And saved by the bell, an older woman, with white hair, short stature, and bigger build, had entered into the waiting area, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Mrs. Nox! This is your 3 o’clock, Mr. Benjamin Nathaniel Bane.” The receptionist beamed, Caustic rolling his eyes.

“Thank you, James. I’ll take it from here. Mr. Bane, would you kindly follow me, please?” She directed into the doorway.

“Gladly.” Caustic entered through the doors, Mrs. Nox waving goodbye to the young man. She waited until the doors closed to speak.

“We can’t talk out here, it’s not safe. Follow me to my office.” Mrs. Nox led Caustic through the hallways.

He remembered how stale the air was here, and how the building was so pristine even though it housed so many children. Quite a feat for the woman to take upon herself. It wasn’t long before they stopped at a door, the woman reaching for her keycard to unlock it. When they both entered the room, she locked the door and closed all of the blinds. 

“ _Ben,_ what gives me this gracious pleasure of seeing you today?” She hissed with her arms crossed.

“Well, I just wanted to see how my family is, that’s all. I’ve brought you a gift, it’s from me and Natalie. She wanted to provide me with the item but I have no use for it. She’ll just give me another one once I return.” He handed the package to the woman, she gingerly reached for it.

“You know, you were one troublesome child. You know how hard it was to make them believe what I’ve said?” She responded as she began to tear through the wrapping into the box.

“Yes, and I must thank you. For without you, I would’ve never got this prime position in my workplace now. Though, I did assist in that manner.” He exhaled, she was impossible as always.

Mrs. Nox tsk’ed at his response before gasping at what was inside the package. It was a little Nessie that resembled Caustic, with a picture of him, his family, and the Paquette’s family from so long ago. She remembered this photograph, it was taken at a holiday celebration. She smiled at the gesture, finding an envelope with a card detailing of a large number of credits that were being donated to the Orphanage. She raised her gaze to him, shaking her head. He held up his hand before going into a coughing fit.

“Think of this as an offering from the others. I had no part in this.” She knew he was lying. She didn’t stop herself from approaching him and wrapping her arms around him, embracing him.

“Thank you. I bet visiting those ruins did something to you, huh?” He shook his head as he patted her back.

“No. However, the location did offer quite some insight. I just wanted to see how the ruins of my family were doing.” He felt her tears soaking through his jacket, into his shirt. He sighed.

How did father handle this?

**Author's Note:**

> HIYAH. This was so fun and interesting to write, I didn't know it was gonna take me this long or that I was going to be so into it. I enjoyed this very much actually. I felt I did so much better with this one than yesterday's, phew.  
> Caustic has this kind of Revenant vibe to him when I went into writing this, though more of the sadistic version, nothing with the existential crisis or anything. He has a fascination with his work and enjoys observing the results.  
> Feedback is wonderful! 💓 Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed it! 🥰


End file.
